52F Models

Speialising in producing etched 4mm scale loco kits for NER and NBR modellers as well as the Easi-Rider range of 4mm scale model loco and tender chassis'. Designed and Produced in the UK for the discerning modeller.

1 Comprhensive instructions comprising of 8, A4 pages of assembly instructions. One A4 page of diagrams and a parts list. The fret has part numbers etched beside each part for easier identification.

2 The NER Class P1, LNER/BR Class J25 is the latest addition to our Easi-Rider range of loco chassis for kit built loco's. The chassis etch is in 0.38mm nickel silver for improved stength and rigidity. No need to buy an expensive chassis assembly jig, this chassis can be folded up around a 12" steel rule.

3. The chassis fits the Alexander and Nu-Cast bodies with only one small alteration to the drag box under the cab. This has to be reduced in height by approx 1mm to accomodate the two wires holding the brake pull lever. We have successfully fitted one of these chassis to the London Road Models etched kit with a little extra effort to allow for the difference in footplate thickness.

4. The all new chassis works on the same proven principles as our NER P3, LNER/BR J27 chassis but with the benefit of hindsight and experience has even more detailed features.

5. We still use the tried and proven 54:1 2-stage gearbox and Mashima 1420 motor for EM gauge and either a 1220 motor for OO versions.

6. The coupling rods are made up from 8 etched pieces and pivot on the crankpins.

7. The brake hangers are prototypical in appearance and the rigging is prototypical in operation. (See image of the underside of the chassis)

8. Provision has been made for the use of Gibson Plunger Pickups. Should you wish to use American style current collection then pickups aren't necessary at all.

How to order. Go to the "Contact US" page and order by email or by telephone on 01670 362451. If you're ordering by mail, including a contact number and email address would be beneficial in the event of a query about your order.

Provision has been made to allow the use of Gibson plunger pickups. These allow perfect current collection, are hidden by the wheel rims and don't detract from the work that went into assembling the highly detailed brake rigging.

The drawings for the production etch have been modified to include provision for Gibson Plunger Pickups. The holes for the pickups have been left deliberately small so that in the event that the builder doesn't want to use them, they'll be hidden by the wheel flanges. For EM gauge modellers this provides a neat solution to where to put the pickups without detracting from the brake gear rigging under the chassis.

26/04/09 On Sunday the 26th of April at the South Dean Community Centre, I demonstrated just how easy this chassis was to assemble to an audience of experienced EM gauge modellers. Starting from scratch, I had a chassis complete with wheels and coupling rods built in 1hr and 45 minutes. The wheels used were old Romford RP25 profile with EM axles and standard Romford crankpins.

The coupling rods were placed over the standard Ø1.0mm crankpins and no attempt was made to open out the holes in the rods. The chassis ran along the work table with size for size pins and holes and no tight spots. I'll readily admit that there was an element of luck involved but I achieved the same result with the test build on the J27 production chassis. Even if the hornblocks had had to be moved, this would have been no more than an additional 10 minutes work to achieve the same result.

22/04/09. The above image shows the finished body and pre-production version chassis ready for painting. The body is fitted with our own etched footsteps and a slightly revised buffer beam snowplough. We are particularly pleased that this chassis was almost "Right First Time". Ask any manufacturer of etched kits and he or she will tell you that before kits are offered for sale they've been redesigned up to half a dozen times. (The good ones have anyway.)

The Gibson wheels add that finishing touch to what will be a really nice model. The brake shoes are very close to the wheel rims for that added touch of realism but can't actually touch them and cause short circuits. Photos of the finish painted model will appear in these pages in due course.

The bufferbeam snowplough has been specially designed to complement the Easi-Rider J25 and J27 chassis' and will be available as an accessory. If it's your intention to model a loco that is known to have had a plough fitted then when building the chassis you don't fit the guard irons. The chassis can be removed from the body by withdrawing one Ø0.45mm wire from one of the guard iron fixing holes. It is possible to remove the chassis and leave the plough in place

This chassis is very similar to the J26/J27 chassis, the major differences being in the front and rear overhang. The chassis is compensated on all 6 driving wheels, the leading axle rides in horn blocks and the ride height is adjusted by means of a 12BA setscrew just behind the smokebox. The middle and trailing axles follow the established practice of using compensation beams and the gearbox is part of this mechanism. This ensures that the gears remain in perfect mesh at alll times regardless of any vertical movement on any particular axle.

With the etch being smaller than the J27 etch we've included a selection of smokebox number plates on the fret. There are 17 in all so there's a good chance that the particular loco you want to model will be included. If you're wondering about the choice of numbers then they're the loco's I spotted over 50 years ago.

For further information about the tender chassis, go to the NER Tender tab. There are three photos of the tender chassis, one under a 3,038 gallon tender body. This chassis has the leading and middle axles compensated with the trailing axle being fixed.

This chassis kit is now available in EM gauge direct from 52F Models. For details on how to order contact us by phone on 01670 362451 of from the "Contact Us" page by email.

We can supply Gibson loco driving wheels and crankpin sets if required. See Gibson Wheels tab for prices.